This concludes the investigation of the Citta. At this stage, the Citta is forever freed from rebirth and worldly existence. It is completely separated from ignorance and craving. The condition where ignorance causes mental formations to arise completely ends. In its place comes the complete fading away and ending of all conditioned phenomena, bringing an end to the whole mass of suffering.
When ignorance is destroyed, the conditioned activities that create suffering are also destroyed within the Citta. Thoughts and mental activities that belong to the aggregates still continue naturally, but they no longer create suffering. Without defilements corrupting them, they simply guide mental activity in a natural way. Consciousness still arises, but it does so purely without producing suffering. The senses and their contacts continue to function according to their own natural characteristics. They no longer disturb the Citta that has fully completed its task. This is the total ending of suffering.
When ignorance and all defilements are destroyed, they are destroyed within the Citta itself. The destruction of ignorance is the destruction of the endless cycle of birth and death. Both must end inside the Citta because the ignorance-filled Citta is the root of rebirth, aging, sickness, and death. Craving, driven by ignorance, is the main cause of all these things, and it exists only within the Citta. Once ignorance completely breaks apart and is forever removed, total freedom is achieved. The Citta then becomes vast, open, and completely empty without limits or boundaries. Nothing confines it anymore. All conflict disappears. When the Citta knows, it knows only truth. When it sees, it sees only truth. This is true emptiness.
There are many levels of emptiness. Deep concentration meditation is one level. In deep concentration, awareness of the body and thinking temporarily disappears, making the Citta seem empty. But this emptiness lasts only as long as the meditation state lasts. At the beginning stages of wisdom practice, the Citta permanently separates itself from attachment to the body, though it still remains attached to feeling, memory, thought, and consciousness. The Citta becomes empty of bodily forms, so images of the body no longer arise within it, but mental concepts still remain. Wisdom at this stage clearly sees that the body is not oneself, so attachment to the body ends forever. Yet attachment to mental activity still remains. Through deeper investigation, the Citta eventually lets go of these mental factors as well. Then all that remains is an extraordinary radiance filling the universe, a limitless brightness and profound emptiness. This is the great power of genuine ignorance. By continuing to use the full strength of mindfulness and wisdom, ignorance is finally destroyed within the Citta. When everything mixed into the Citta is removed, true emptiness is attained. This emptiness is permanent and requires no effort to maintain. This is complete freedom for the Citta.
The difference between the emptiness of the ignorance-filled Citta and the emptiness of the pure Citta can be compared to a person standing inside an empty room. While standing there admiring the emptiness, the person forgets that he himself is still inside the room. As long as someone remains there, the room is not truly empty. Only when that person leaves does the room become completely empty. In the same way, after the Citta lets go of all external things, there still remains the one who admires the emptiness. That subtle sense of self is still present within the knowing nature of the Citta. This is the real ignorance. The self is the final obstacle. Once it completely disappears, no obstacle remains. Then everything is empty: the outside world is empty, and the inside of the Citta is empty. True emptiness occurs only when every trace of conventional reality disappears from the Citta.
The destruction of ignorance is unlike the ending of anything previously investigated. Earlier phenomena ended with a clear understanding of their true nature. But the radiance of ignorance disappears instantly, like a flash of lightning. Suddenly it flips over and vanishes completely. Only after it disappears does one realize that it was the true ignorance all along. What remains afterward is entirely unique and absolutely pure. Although it has never been experienced before, there is no doubt about it at all. Every cause for doubt has vanished together with ignorance. This is the end of all burdens.
Every idea about “myself” or “my true essence” refers to this genuine ignorance while it still remains. All investigation is done to uncover it. This self is the one that knows, understands, shines brightly, and experiences happiness. The ideas of “I” and “mine” are hidden right here. Everything is done for its sake. Once it completely breaks apart, the personal viewpoint disappears too. Actions still happen, but they are no longer done for anyone.
It is like a pot whose bottom has fallen away. No matter how much water is poured into it, nothing remains inside. Thoughts and ideas still arise and pass away naturally through the aggregates, but nothing sticks to the Citta because the container that once held them—ignorance—has been destroyed. Thoughts arise and vanish instantly. Since nothing holds onto them and no self claims ownership over them, they simply disappear. The nature that knows this complete emptiness is perfectly content within itself. This is true purity, completely free from every burden.
The true nature of the Citta is so deeply hidden by ignorance that its incredible purity is never seen. The trap of ignorance is so skillfully disguised that meditators reaching this stage are easily deceived. They become fascinated by what appears to be the Citta’s true wonder and treasure it deeply, wanting to protect it at all costs. They feel that this wonderful radiance is truly who they are.
Genuine ignorance is a central point filled with many strange and wonderful qualities that are impossible to imagine beforehand. These qualities contaminate the Citta in the same way a tiny piece of poisoned bait can kill an animal. Among these qualities are an extraordinary radiance that seems complete and perfect, an exceptional happiness flowing from that radiance that seems beyond the entire world of conventional reality, a feeling of complete invulnerability, and a strong attachment that treasures this radiant nature like precious gold.
The ignorance-filled Citta appears to possess every virtue. It is bright, fearless, deeply content, and its knowing quality seems limitless. Yet despite knowing everything else, it does not know itself. This is the fundamental ignorance hidden within genuine ignorance. The moment this knowing nature turns back to examine itself, ignorance instantly breaks apart. When that happens, the truth of the Citta and the truth of Dhamma are revealed. Only ignorance had hidden them from view.
Meditators who are not highly skilled in wisdom will have great difficulty escaping from ignorance because ordinary ignorance and genuine ignorance are very different. Ordinary ignorance contains many forms of delusion, both external and internal, all mixed together. It is like a tree with leaves, branches, twigs, and a trunk. Genuine ignorance is like that same tree after all its branches have been cut away. Through persistent wisdom, the outgrowing activities of ignorance are gradually removed until everything gathers into one single point within the Citta. At that stage, ignorance no longer has its many outward activities. What remains is genuine ignorance itself.
The branches of ignorance are many and varied. All other mental defilements are only its branches and twigs. By focusing on these outer branches, people often overlook the root itself. Because of this, when they finally arrive at genuine ignorance, they become confused and fail to recognize it. It is like a vine spreading everywhere across the ground with many tangled branches. One must carefully follow the vine back to its source until reaching the main stem. Only there can the root be found. Once the root is pulled out, the entire plant dies.
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